Oye Lithur urges crackdown on vigilante groups

Former Gender, Children and Social Protection Minister Nana Oye Lithur has charged President Akufo-Addo to ensure that the spate of vigilante group attacks is curbed.

In an open letter addressed to the president and security agencies in the country, she stated that the “unlawful acts [of such groups] have dire national security implications”.

Her comments come in the wake of reports of a group of well-built men from the governing New Patriotic Party’s Delta Force who allegedly stormed the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council on Friday 24 March to stop George Agyei, appointed as the regional security coordinator, from performing his duties.

According to members of the party’s private security arm, it cannot work with Mr Agyei since he is not native to the region.

However, the human rights lawyer and activist noted: “The forceful removal of a lawfully appointed public official was violent and blood was shed, with government property being destroyed. This adds on to the list of forceful seizure and management of state property, that is, the Kintampo Falls tourist facility, seizure of toll booths, seizure of vehicles, etc.”

For her, such vigilante groups must be disbanded as a matter of urgency.

Read her letter below:

Mr President, Minister of Interior, National Security Advisor, please address with urgency, the operation of vigilante groups and the unlawful extra judicial unorthodox methods being used by the Invincible Forces, Delta Force and other vigilante groups to seek justice or address issues in Ghana. We have read news reports this evening, 24th March, 2017, that the Delta Force, a vigilante group of the NPP, has forced the Ashanti Regional National Security Director out of his office.

The forceful removal of a lawfully appointed public official was violent and blood was shed, with Government property being destroyed. This adds on to the list of forceful seizure and management of state property, that is, the Kintampo Falls tourist facility, seizure of toll booths, seizure of vehicles etc.

These unlawful acts have dire national security implications. For four months and since elections were held in Ghana on 7th December, 2016, there have been numerous reports of extra judicial and unlawful violent acts by these groups. Ghanaians are peace loving and law abiding. We have been sustained as a nation by respect for the rule of law. We do not want this violence to escalate, neither do we want this situation to degenerate.

I strongly urge our national security agencies to get a grip of this national security issue and solve this security problem. This should be a top priority for Government. Protect our right to security, our right to human dignity and preserve the rule of law in Ghana. Freedom and Justice.